M931 running commercial in Iowa problems!!

[Andydieselpower]

Hello,
We have a customer who purchased an M931a2 from us that is using the unit to pull large concrete pipe on a large construction project in Iowa. He was pulled over by commercial vehicle enforcement today and was told he couldn't use the vehicle because the truck did not have a sticker inside the door (like a civi truck does) showing the vehicle conforms to federal motor vehicle safety.

We have lots of customers using trucks we have sold commercially with no issues.


Does anyone in IOWA run their truck commerical and can shed light on this?

Any help would be appreciated from people in Iowa or versed with Iowa laws,
Andy

 

[hndrsonj]

IIRC, Iowa was cracking down on MV's in general. Doesn't surprise me.

 

[wreckerman893]

Sounds like an Iowa DOT man with too much time on his hands.

 

[Csm Davis]

Did he get a ticket if so it should list the code that was broken, and since when does state leo's enforce federal laws?

 

[Tow4]

It probably doesn't have to comply. For example, the engine data plate on my multi-fuel specifically says it is exempt from the clean air act.

I've read before that MVs have to comply to the rules in place or conditions specified in the contract at the time were built. I believe that transfers to the next owner.

I'm sure there is somebody here that has been down this road before. Good Luck.

 

[Bobert]

Helloivee have a customer who purchased an M931a2 from us that is using the unit to pull large concrete pipe on a large construction project in Iowa. He was pulled over by commercial vehicle enforcement today and was told he couldn't use the vehicle because the truck did not have a sticker inside the door (like a civi truck does) showing the vehicle conforms to federal motor vehicle safety.

We have lots of customers using trucks we have sold commercially with no issues.


Does anyone in IOWA run their truck commerical and can shed light on this?

Any help would be appreciated from people in Iowa or versed with Iowa laws,
Andy

Sorry for the old post, but I think I've been seeing this truck around this summer and last. Big pipe is and understatement! I think it is 12 or 13 feet in diameter. I'll get a better pic if I see him again.

 

[wreckerman893]

Just looking at that I can see that it does not have a "Wide Load" sign on it, no flashing lights or flags and it may be overweight. It may also require an escort under some circumstances. Could be he is suffering from a self-inflicted wound.

 

[silverstate55]

Did he get a ticket if so it should list the code that was broken, and since when does state leo's enforce federal laws?

Because the Feds require state DMVs & DOTs to enforce the FMVSS for them; I've been through this with my state's DMV.

There's a simple solution, it involves having a plate made that simply states that the vehicles complies with all federal motor vehicle safety standards at the time it was manufactured, along with all the pertinent data related to that vehicle (axle weights, nomenclature, GVW, etc...). Some states refer to this as the "GVW tag," and this is all they're really interested in. The motor carrier enforcement folks use this as their reference when breaking out the portable scales.

 

[ichudov]

Hello, and how/where do you make such a plate, I would like one also. I will appreciate some details.

 

[Bobert]

They must have figured it out, it's been running pipe for about a year now that I've seen. They just have a short trip back and forth, so maybe they have a deal worked out.

In this pic, it's hard to see but it does have wide loads signs and flags. I just can't get a good pic.

 

[Artisan]

THAT IS BS! There IS NO LAW that says a man cannot modify a vehicle as he sees fit. Case and point, ya gonna throw me in the slammer for tearing the tag off my mattress? Those labels are required AT THE TIME OF SALE and unless that LEO can produce a LAW that says you MUST keep data stickers up then tell him to go pound sand. AFTER you win in court file a COMPLAINT against him w/ his current employer. If you win then WHY did he write you for that? Was he taught to do this, NO, well then he must have done it of his own accord then! BLAST those who do this STUFF! SO MANY LEO OFFICERS are BULLYING people. WHY? Because SO MANY PEOPLE WILL ROLL OVER AND PAY INSTEAD OF FIGHT and THAT is WRONG!

 

[quickfarms]

THAT IS BS! There IS NO LAW that says a man cannot modify a vehicle as he sees fit. Case and point, ya gonna throw me in the slammer for tearing the tag off my mattress? Those labels are required AT THE TIME OF SALE and unless that LEO can produce a LAW that says you MUST keep data stickers up then tell him to go pound sand. AFTER you win in court file a COMPLAINT against him w/ his current employer. If you win then WHY did he write you for that? Was he taught to do this, NO, well then he must have done it of his own accord then! BLAST those who do this STUFF! SO MANY LEO OFFICERS are BULLYING people. WHY? Because SO MANY PEOPLE WILL ROLL OVER AND PAY INSTEAD OF FIGHT and THAT is WRONG!

The law is that it is illegal to alter the vin tag.

The federal safety sticker is actually a noise sticker on most commercial vehicles and tends to be illegible after a few years.

The sticker that has the axle weights in it is a different sticker. Military vehicles have there equivalent information on the data plate on the dash.

If this is a real issue you could make up a data plate that states this vehicle meets all the safety requirements as defined in the contract that it was built under. I would list the contract and year of manufacture for good measure.

If the vehicle is being used commercially the DOT can force you to confirm to current lighting and reflectivity requirements.

 

[silverstate55]

Any commercial vehicle falling under Motor Carrier authority is held to a much different standard.

One issue I had was a 1968 semi van trailer that didn't have the reflective strips anywhere on it, and the GVW data plate had been painted over. I found a new data plate at a truck dealership (the trailer manufacturer had long since gone out of business) and even though I am strictly non-commercial, and the FMVSS did not state specifically that reflectivity requirements were for ALL trailers, the consensus among the MC inspectors I talked with about it said that they typically interpreted the law to mean ALL trailers over 10K pounds GVW, not just commercial motor carriers. So to avoid problems I simply spent $30 and applied the reflectivity tape as spec'd by the DOT flier. And I haven't been bothered about it since.

Could I have carried a current copy of FMVSS and MC laws with me, and upon being stopped/inspected argued my case that since I'm strictly non-commercial that the reflectivity applies only to commercial motor carriers? Sure, but would it be worth my time and energy? NO.

Same with the GVW data plate; it wasn't worth my time and/or energy, and state DMVs/DOTs are required to enforce federal motor vehicle safety standards, especially those applying to commercial vehicles as the states are given federal funds (via highway funding & grants) based on their applied enforcement (number of inspections carried out, vehicles weighed, enforcement actions conducted, citations/out-of-service data, etc...).

It is what it is, especially when venturing into the 26K+ and up world. Safety is the #1 concern, that is why enforcement officers need to see the GVW tag and other info to ensure that the CMV isn't posing a greater danger to the public (and the driver) than it needs to be.

And even though I've been specifically told by several DMV and MC inspectors that non-commercial operators typically aren't scrutinized in the way that commercial operators are, I won't take that as a way to become complacent...I haven't had any issues myself as I bend over backwards to ensure that I am well within compliance, and I like to think that it shows (as evidenced by my positive experiences while being inspected/examined at Ports Of Entry).

YMMV.

 

[m16ty]

silverstate, you make some good points. Just because you aren't required to follow some commercial regs doesn't mean you shouldn't. Hobby vehicles are just as dangerous as commercial vehicles. Hobby vehicles may even be more dangerous because people are driving them without the training and experience commercial drivers have.